The People Who Shaped My Writing: James F Miller II

James Miller is a poet from the Midwest. His passion for writing began to burn for him once he learned to write in cursive. Putting pen to page is what makes him feel alive. His book, A Footnote for Tomorrow, has held the No. 2 spot on Amazon Top New Releases list and remained in the top 10 for two months. He has been published in the Tecumseh Review (Vincennes University, Indiana), in 2000, as well as various anthologies between 1997 and 2000. During his academic career, James studied English, creative writing, journalism, advertising, philosophy and music/audio recording. During that time, he attended several smaller community colleges including Vincennes University where he studied English-Creative Writing, Journalism and Music-Audio Recording. He's a curious man who will speak to anyone willing to have a meaningful conversation.

Isabelle: Do you feel your work has been inspired by your influences in any way? To what extent do writers inspire your own stories?

James: I would have to say I was not really sure how my writing idols influenced my books until this question was asked. I had never put much thought to it. Even responding to this question, has taken me well over an acceptable amount of time to complete and return. So today I diagnosed page by page, screen by screen, word after word, my writing in each of my manuscripts, finished or otherwise.

Obviously, the e.e. cummings influence is in my mannerism to not capitalize any words because I feel it puts importance or attention to words that are no more important than the next word.

Maybe my tendency to use vulgar language and sexual references is a result of Bukowski and Ginsberg’s influence. I loved that effect as a reader when I first discovered it. It brought a realistic feel to the world I was most familiar. My darker tendencies may be a result of reading lots of Poe.

My Buddhist and spiritual influences and references are a direct result of my younger reading of the beats like Kerouac, Ginsberg and company.

You can learn more about Jim and/or follow him:

on Twitter at: (@jim_twenty) https://www.twitter.com/jim_twenty

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on Instagram at: https://www.instagram/jamesfmillerii_poet

on Pinterest at: https://www.pinterest.com/roadwornhippy420/

on Amazon Author Central at: https://www.amazon.com/author/jamesfmillerii